Paolini's "Eldest"

[Steve]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214"
<dumbledore11214 at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Andromeda" <lavaluvn at y...> 
> wrote:
> ...edited...
> 
> > Anyway, I'd agree the character development is a little thin... 
> > maybe Eragon sounds a little too much like he's a teenager writing
> > his own story? ...  NOthing against the nice young man who wrote 
> it, whatever his schooling.  May he keep writing and improving as a 
> writer!
> > 
> > Cheers,
> > Andromeda
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Absolutely, he is a very good writer, I think he has lot of
> potential and despite  the criticism, I found  the story to be 
> great.
> 
> Alla.


bboyminn:

Let's make a distinction between a great writer and a great story
teller. Many a great writer has crafted dull uninteresting stories
that are none the less techincally correct, and many great
storytellers have crafted techincally poor books. Many have critisized
JKR's writing as being simplistic and derivative, but you can't deny
that she tells a great story. The same is true of Paolini, while you
can certainly critisize his writing from a techincal perspective, I
find it hard to believe that anyone doesn't find his stories exciting
and captivating. 

Of course, there are those who rate Hemmingway as a self-indulgent
overrated hack, while others praise him as a great master. Oh so many
praise Tolkien as a master of both story and technique, but I found
his writing impossibly dull, slow, and tedious. I couldn't finish Lord
of the Rings to save my soul. So, while there will never be a
consensus on any author, or story for that matter, I still say
Eragon/Eldest is a tremendous story and a tremendous accomplishment
for a writer so young. Only time will tell if he has what it takes to
endure his craft acrosss the span of a lifetime, but you must admit,
he's off to a great start.

As I said in other posts, I measure character development by how much
and how well the characters came to life for me, not by the detail to
which I am priviledge to their thoughts and feelings. I have to say
every character in Paolini's books truly lives in my mind, each is
distinct and speaks with a unique voice and has a unique personality. 

To another point raised in other forums, I did predict the Murtagh
storyline as did many, but despite the accuracy of my predictions, I
was still stunned and awed when it played out on the page, and also
felt very mixed, deep, and complex emotions around the issue of
Murtagh. I also liked the way the two separate stories of Roran and
Eragon converge and set the stage for the next book.

So, in short, I liked it. 

Just a few more thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn